Former Titans Assistant Named USFL Head Coach

Bart Andrus, quarterbacks coach during the 1999 Super Bowl season, will lead the Philadelphia Stars.

John E. Sokolowski/USA Today Sports

A former Tennessee Titans assistant is one of the first four head coaches named in the second coming of the USFL, which will begin its season in April.

Bart Andrus will lead the Philadelphia Stars, the league announced Thursday.

Andrus was with the Titans during their transition from Houston (1997-99), first as an offensive assistant and quality control coach and eventually as quarterbacks coach during the Super Bowl season of 1999. He has experience as a head coach with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe (2001-07), the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (2009) and the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League (2012).

This will be his third attempt at spring football. In 2020, he was head coach of The Generals, in The Spring League, an eight-team development circuit, and Team Nine, the centralized farm team of the short-lived XFL.

Also named head coaches along with Andrus were two former college head coaches, Kevin Sumlin (Houston Gamblers) and Mike Riley (New Jersey Generals), and one former NFL head coach and long-time coordinator, Todd Haley (Tampa Bay Bandits).

"Today is a monumental day for the new USFL as we hit the 100 days to kickoff mark," USFL President of Football Operations Brian Woods said in announcing the hires. "To attract Mike Riley and Todd Haley, two former NFL head coaches, Bart Andrus, a former head coach in NFL Europe and CFL, plus an experienced college head coach in Kevin Sumlin, to the USFL, speaks to the quality of the league we're building.

"They all share our belief in high-quality spring football, and we're honored to have them lead their respective teams this year.”

The USFL will consist of eight teams divided into two divisions in 2022. Each will play 10 games at a yet-to-be-named host city and the top two in each division will advance to the playoffs.